Chapter 266
Chapter 266
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 266
Chapter Title: Duel with the Sword Sovereign
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A thunderclap roared across the clear sky, momentarily tinged black.
And soon after, a scene unfolded as if black lightning had struck down.
The countless demonic cultivators of Heavenly Mountain who witnessed it doubted their own eyes, but it was undeniable reality.
With that ferocious power contained within his blade, Hyeok Mulin swung it straight down.
Boom!
A deafening roar echoed, as if a heavenly calamity from the sky was smashing something down.
Yet what met his blade was not flesh, but Cheon Sumyeong's sword.
At point-blank range, the two warriors crossed blades diagonally, locking eyes.
For the first time clashing swords with Cheon Sumyeong, Hyeok Mulin couldn't hide his astonishment.
'So this is the Sword Sovereign's sword.'
Simply from the clash, Hyeok Mulin could tell.
How many years of relentless training the Sword Sovereign had endured.
And how many lives this blade had claimed.
'Heavy.'
Though Hyeok Mulin was pressing down from above, the Sword Sovereign's sword—mere contact—felt impossibly heavy.
It wasn't just weight.
True to its name, Thousand Souls Devouring Sword, it was as if thousands upon thousands of souls were embedded in that blade.
Feeling that weight, Hyeok Mulin unwittingly staggered back two steps before he knew it.
But he wasn't the only one stunned.
On the contrary, Cheon Sumyeong, clashing blades with Hyeok Mulin, was beyond shock—utterly aghast.
'Unbelievable.'
As the Sword Sovereign, Cheon Sumyeong believed himself to have mastered the sword to a profound degree, acknowledged by all under heaven.
He held one firm conviction about the sword.
No matter how talented a swordsman, there was one thing they could never easily attain.
That was...
'Time.'
Talent, aptitude, experience—all were valuable.
They combined to forge an exceptional swordsman.
But one thing alone...
The depth born of time and hard-earned experience could only be filled day by day, enduring it personally.
Right up until this clash with Hyeok Mulin, Cheon Sumyeong had believed that.
Yet...
'How can I feel that depth in his sword—depth only time can grant?'
From Hyeok Mulin's blade, Cheon Sumyeong sensed a profundity achievable solely through years.
And how deeply Hyeok Mulin understood the sword as a living entity.
Feeling it firsthand, Cheon Sumyeong could scarcely believe the moment.
'A man not yet thirty wielding such swordsmanship.'
Impossible at that age for anyone.
Even the Sword Sovereign himself.
Not even the previous Heavenly Demon at that age had shown such prowess.
Yet Hyeok Mulin displayed it now, like a dream made real.
Hiss—
With a sound, Cheon Sumyeong glanced at his feet.
Before the spar began, he'd planned to block every attack without moving from his spot.
But a single exchange shattered that.
Unbeknownst to him, clashing blades had pushed his foot back a step.
Glancing at his toes, Cheon Sumyeong turned his gaze forward again.
It was fine. In fact, a relief.
He realized his arrogance in thinking he could receive Hyeok Mulin's assault in place.
It had awakened his caution—a good thing.
Clang!
Hyeok Mulin and Cheon Sumyeong simultaneously shoved each other back, creating a zhang of distance.
In that space, Cheon Sumyeong spoke.
"Beyond my expectations."
"Glad you're satisfied."
Hyeok Mulin's impassive eyes swept over his blade.
"Don't forget the spar isn't over."
Three exchanges.
The final three where Cheon Sumyeong yielded the offense remained.
And Hyeok Mulin had already decided what sword art to unleash in them.
Soon, the third attack began from his fingertips.
Mid-Section: Fifth Form
Illusion Soul Sword
Undulating lines tangled chaotically, like fluttering ripples.
To one without insight, it would seem meaningless disorder.
But Cheon Sumyeong saw it.
What Hyeok Mulin expressed.
What calamity he summoned.
In an instant, light flashed, and the world around Cheon Sumyeong transformed.
He stood barefoot on a blinding white sand beach under scorching sun.
Clearly mid-spar in Heavenly Martial Hall, yet now he existed in another realm entirely.
The searing grit underfoot.
Cheon Sumyeong knew it was illusion, yet his senses screamed reality.
'Cult Leader. Why bring me here? What do you show me?'
No sign of Hyeok Mulin. The beach serene.
Then the ground trembled, intensity building.
Like an earthquake shaking the world.
The scene warped grotesquely.
Earth quaked, sea surged, sky roiled.
Amid it, only Cheon Sumyeong stood calm, detached from the chaos.
Then, with receding waters, he spotted something.
"That is..."
Rumble—
A wave approached head-on.
Towering as ten burly men stacked.
Cheon Sumyeong swept his blade low to high, forming a sword barrier.
The crashing wave hit the barrier harmlessly.
Underwhelmed by its power, he tilted his head.
But soon lifted it again.
The second wave loomed—thirty men high.
He slashed squarely, carving a door-sized gap.
Passing through unscathed, he cleared it.
Soon the third approached.
A hundred men tall.
As it neared, he cleaved vertically.
One Stroke, Two Halves.
The massive wave split left and right around him.
Not a drop touched him.
Then the final wave emerged.
Water blotted the sky, eclipsing the sun.
Only its shadow dominated.
Endless swells from both sides surged to devour him.
Cheon Sumyeong assessed instantly.
'Impossible.'
No dodging.
No blocking.
One way to break it.
Unleash a sword art to shatter the wave.
He gripped his sword.
Three Stars aligned, encircled by Nine Rings.
As the wave crested, he unleashed a circular sword beam forward.
Rooooar!
The heavens quaked with thunderous boom, revealing the result.
The sky-high wave bore a Mount Tai-sized hole at its center.
The overwhelming form of Heavenly Energy Flowing Circular Sword.
The wave collapsed powerless; Cheon Sumyeong passed through the void untouched.
Soon the world faded.
Time to return to reality.
Cheon Sumyeong nodded leisurely, then startled as realization hit.
'He shouldn't have survived!'
His Heavenly Energy Flowing Circular Sword pierced the illusion and reached Hyeok Mulin in reality.
He knew its power best—no one could block it.
Intending a pure spar, he'd unwittingly unleashed a lethal technique.
Regretting, he called out.
"Are you alrigh—"
But before finishing, sword lights flew at him.
Confounded, Cheon Sumyeong whipped his blade.
With clear vision, shock overwhelmed him.
'He's alive!'
Pushed back, scorch marks on the floor, clothes slightly torn—but Hyeok Mulin stood firm on both feet.
"Hah... ha..."
He'd blocked it.
A hollow laugh escaped Cheon Sumyeong; no more words came.
Not a technique one could simply decide to block.
Long cast time, immense destruction, offense-focused.
Yet blocked.
Without a drop of blood.
Even seeing it, Cheon Sumyeong couldn't believe how.
As Hyeok Mulin raised his sword to continue, facing him...
"I concede."
Cheon Sumyeong admitted defeat.
He'd vowed no offense in the three exchanges.
Even defending himself, he'd broken that vow.
Cleanly, he acknowledged loss.
Hyeok Mulin sheathed his blade.
"I accept."
Thanks to Cheon Sumyeong's concession, Hyeok Mulin could stand down.
'Nearly died.'
That final technique's sharpness was otherworldly.
Yet all his trials—harsh training, decades of internalized arts, profound insight, gathered elixirs, Pure Soul Divine Demon Art's Seventh Star—let him survive.
One lacking, and he'd be the defeated now.
Hyeok Mulin confirmed his time well-spent.
"My clan will withdraw from the front lines."
Cheon Sumyeong stepping back from the vanguard.
Meant Cheon Clan's retreat—Hyeok Mulin's victory.
"Thanks for honoring the promise."
"Your own achievement."
With final promise made, Cheon Sumyeong left Heavenly Martial Hall, Hyeok Mulin behind.
Wandering Heavenly Demon Palace, he pondered.
'Temporary retreat, but long-term, perhaps progress.'
Cheon Clan fell back this duel.
But confirming Hyeok Mulin's worth changed his view.
Under him, Heavenly Demon Divine Cult might unprecedentedly flourish.
If so...
'Cheon Clan, allied, could surpass current limits.'
Seeing that future, retreat didn't sting.
Lost in thought nearing Heavenly Demon Palace's exit...
"S-Sword Sovereign...!"
A guard's trembling voice halted him.
Turning curiously, he saw the man holding cloth gingerly.
"Blood on your cheek—need a cloth to wipe?"
"Blood...?"
Hand to cheek, slight blood smeared; faint wound.
"...!"
Feeling the mark late, Cheon Sumyeong's eyes widened.
'That instant—not just defense, but counterattack?'
Thinking Hyeok Mulin desperate to defend, he'd struck back.
"Heh heh heh heh!"
Realizing now, Cheon Sumyeong laughed.
"Amusing. Truly amusing!"
A new wave crashes into the cult.
Calamity or great fortune?
Even he could no longer predict its path or scale.